^. 


^f^^^ 


> 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


11.25 


m  125 


us 

■^  ^    |Z2 
2.0 


us 

u 


no 


m 


U    11.6 


III 


Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREiT 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  MSSO 

(716)873-4503 


<«^*A 


'^^ 


> 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICIVIH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiqu^s 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notaa/Notas  tachniquaa  at  biblioqraphiquaa 


Tha  Inatituta  haa  attanrtptad  to  obtain  tha  bait 
original  copy  availabia  for  filming.  Faaturaa  of  thia 
copy  which  may  ba  bibliographically  uniqua. 
which  may  altar  any  of  tha  imagaa  in  tha 
raproduction,  or  which  may  aignificantly  changa 
tha  uaual  mathod  of  filming,  ara  chacltad  balow. 


□    Coloured  covara/ 
Couvartura  da  coulaur 


r~~|    Covers  damaged/ 


D 


D 


D 
D 


D 


n 


Couverture  endommagie 


Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  reataurte  et/ou  pelliculAe 


[ — I    Cover  title  miasing/ 


Le  titra  de  couverture  manque 


I      I   Coloured  mapa/ 


Cartes  gAographiquaa  en  couleur 


Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 


I      I   Coloured  plataa  and/or  illuatrationa/ 


Planchea  et/ou  illuatrationa  an  couleur 

Bound  with  other  material/ 
Reli4  avec  d'autrea  documents 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  re  liure  serrie  peut  cauaar  da  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distoraion  la  long  da  la  marge  intAriouro 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  poaaibla.  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certainea  pagea  blanchaa  ajouttea 
lore  d'une  reatauration  apparaiaaant  dana  le  texte. 
mala,  lorsqua  cela  Atait  poaaibla.  cea  pagea  n'ont 
pea  6t6  filmiea. 

Additional  commenta:/ 
Commantairea  suppkimantaires: 


Tha 
toti 


L'Inatitut  a  microfilm*  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  iui  a  it*  possible  de  se  procurer.  Las  details 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-Atre  uniques  du 
point  da  vua  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  una 
modification  dans  la  mithoda  normale  de  fiimage 
sont  indiquis  ci-dessous. 


D 
D 
D 

n 


D 

n 


Coloured  pages/ 
Pagea  da  coulaur 

Pagea  damaged/ 
Pagea  andommagias 

Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Pages  reataurtas  et/ou  pelliculAes 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
Pages  dicolories,  tachaties  ou  piquies 

Pages  detached/ 
Pages  ditachias 


Tha 
poas 
oft» 
fllmi 


Orig 

bagi 

thai 

sion, 

otha 

firat 

sion, 

or  ill 


|~T1    Showthrough/ 


Transparence 

Quality  of  prir 

Qualit^  inigaia  de  i'impression 

Includes  supplementary  matarii 
Comprend  du  material  suppl^mantaira 


I     I    Quality  of  print  varies/ 

I     I   Includes  supplementary  material/ 


Only  edition  available/ 
Seuie  Edition  disponibie 

Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc..  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totaiement  ou  partiailemont 
obscurcies  par  un  feuiilet  d'errata.  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  M  fiimies  i  nouveau  de  fapon  A 
obtanir  la  meiileure  image  possible. 


Thai 
shall 
TINU 
whic 

Mapi 
diffei 
entiri 
begir 
right 
requi 
meth 


This  item  is  filmed  at  tha  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  fiimi  au  taux  da  reduction  indiquA  ci-dessous. 


10X 

14X 

18X 

22X 

26X 

XX 

y 

12X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


32X 


aire 
details 
u«s  du 
t  modifier 
gar  une 
I  filmaga 


Th«  copy  filmed  h«r«  hat  b««n  r«procluc«d  thanks 
to  the  ganarosity  of: 

Douglas  Library 
Quean's  University 

The  images  appearing  here  are  the  beet  quelity 
possible  considering  the  condition  end  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  In  Icaeping  with  the 
filming  contract  speclficationa. 


L'exemplaire  filmi  f ut  reproduit  grice  i  la 
gAnArosit*  da: 

Douglas  Library 
Queen's  University 

Les  Imagee  suivantes  ont  4t4  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin.  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  at 
de  ia  nettet*  de  i'exempleire  filmA,  et  en 
conformKi  avec  lee  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmaga. 


lies 


Original  copiea  In  printed  paper  covere  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  Impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  iliuatrated  Impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  v^lth  a  printed 
or  illustrated  Impression. 


Les  exemplalres  orlginaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimAe  sent  fllmte  en  commengant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminent  soit  par  la 
darniire  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'Impression  ou  d'illustratlon,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  salon  le  ces.  TouS  lee  autres  exempleires 
orlginsux  eont  fllmta/en  commenfant  par  ia 
pramlAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'Impression  ou  d'illustratlon  «t  en  terminent  par 
la  derniAre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  eech  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  -^^  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 


Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaftra  sur  la 
dernlAre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  seion  le 
cas:  le  symbols  — ►  signlfie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbols  ▼  signlfie  "FIN". 


re 


Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  Included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  In  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  framee  as 
rsquired.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  Atre 
filmte  A  dee  taux  de  rMuction  diff6rents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  cllchA,  ii  est  film*  h  partir 
de  I'angle  supirieur  gauche,  de  gauche  k  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'Images  nAcessalre.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
lllustrent  la  mAthode. 


i  errata 
d  to 

n 

le  pelure, 

pon  A 


1 

2 

3 

32X 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

■* 


I 


'm:-. 


W 


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4 


L: 


*'* 


HANNAH    SWANTON, 


THE    CASCO    CAPTIVE; 


OR  THK 


CATHOLIC  RELIGION   IN  CANADA, 


-  ^t| 


AND   ITS 


m 


INFLUENCE  ON  THE  INDIANS  OP  MAINE. 


•■i  t. 


^. 


^*<f; 


*}     •• 


'""l. 


WRITTEN   FOR   THE   MASSACHUSETTS   SABBATH   SCHOOL 
SOCIETY,  AND   REVISED   BY  THE   COM- 
MITTEE  OF   PUBLICATION. 


1*^,  ~ 


t 


BOSTON: 


MASSACHUSETTS  SABBATH  SCHOOL  SOCIETY. 
Depository  No.  13  Cornhill. 

1837. 


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Entered  according  to  act  of  Congfess,  in  the  year  IS^,  tr/ 

CHRISTOPHER   C.    DEAN, 
in  tho  Glerk'8  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  Massaichusettg^ 


.{•^rkt 


. 

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«iL- 


CONTENTS. 


<*:    .'.  . 


** 


.^.v. 


(1- 


Mrs.   Swanton's  removal  from  Massa- 
chusetts to  Casco  Bay  in  Maine,         -  5 
Conference   of  Bommaseen,   an  Indian 

Chief,  with  a  Minister  of  Boston,        -  10 
How  Roman  Catholics  corrupt  the  Gos- 
pel,          -        -        ^        -        -        -  12 
Scenery  in  Casco,  now  Portland,       -  16 
Evil  influence  of  Roman  Catholics  on 

the  Indians  of  Maine,            -        ^  21 
Mrs.  Swanton  taken  captive  by  the  In- 
dians-,     '     -        *        -        -        -  25 
Mrs.  Swanton  arrives  at  Quebec,   -        -  33 
Roman  Catholic  arguments,      -        -  36 
Fellowship  with  the  Roman  Catholic  re- 
*'    ligion  declined,     -         -        -        -  39 
Sorrow  for  sin,      -----  41 
Comfort  in  religion,           -        -         -  43 
Deliverance  from  captivity,            -        -  47 
Maine  flourishes  by  religion  and  peace,  48 
Appendix.     Roman  Catholic  principles 
in  Canada,       ^  -        •        •        •  51 


^i^:i»/i 


'''IP 


•^ 


-*'■ 


^^' 


%:■ 


ADVERTISEMENT. 


m^ 


>*^. 


What  is  here  presented  to  the  reader,  is  taken  chief- 
ly from  the  Rev.  Cotton  Mather's  **  Magnalia,  or  Ec- 
clesiastical History  of  New  England."  The  object  has 
4»een  to  keep  to  historical  truth.  The  dates  and  pkcea 
4nenti(med|  testify  that  you  have  here  fiMt,  and  mt 
IGuBtion. 


•i^^' 


,  ,  o-  -VJ^f-^i. 


'#/■ 


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of 


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."«.  •*-/■ 


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HANNAH    SWANTON. 


,*•■ 


^ 


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[  aot 


:^.M.i:. 


RESIDENCE     IN    CASCO    BAT 


4^- 


■■^'"'^ 


Hannah  Swanton  removed,  with  her 
husband  and  children,  from  Beverly  in  Mas- 
sachusetts, to  Casco  Bay  in  Maine,  when 
there  were  only  a  few  families  settled  along 
the  shores  and  near  the  mouths  of  the  rivers, 
and  several  miles  in  the  interior.  She  left 
religious  privileges,  and  exposed  herself  and 
family  to  many  privations,  and  to  the  attacks 
of  savage  Indians,  that  the  family  might  ob- 
tain earthly  gain.  She  afterwards  thought  it 
folly  and  sin  to  forsake  the  worship  of  God 
for  mere  worldly  advantage.  The  result,  in 
her  case,  remarkably  resembled  that  of  Lot, 
who  lifted  up  his  eyes  and  looked  on  the 
well-watered  and  fertile  plains  of  Sodom, 
1* 


* 


■.*t 


>:. 


wv* 


t 


fli        ^  HANNAH    SWANTON^ 

when  he  chose  the  place  of  his  abode,  ahd 
did  hot  sufficiently  regard  the  spiritual  dan" 
gers  to  which  he  might  expose  himself.  The 
soil  of  Sodom  was  indeed  rich,  but  its  people 
were  wicked ;  and  if  the  luxuriance  of  the 
Country  produced  him  abundance,  yet  the 
guilt  of  its  inhabitants  brought  utter  ruin  on 
them  ilnd  him*  We  may  look  at  the  local 
i^ituation  of  Mrs.  Swanton^s  residence,  that 
we  hiay  understand  how  she  met  with  the 
calamities  following  a  fatal  Indian  assault.  ' 
'  The  place  of  her  habitation  was  that  which 
is  now  occupied  by  the  busy  population  of 
Portland.  This  is  a  peninsula  extending  into 
Casco  Bay>  but  protected  fitom  the  violence 
of  the  ocean  by  Cape  Elizabeth,  and  by  nu- 
merous islands,  which  form  a  wall,  unbroken, 
in  appearance^  against  the  winds  and  the 
■Waves  of  the  great  deep*  Here>  therefore, 
was  a  favorable  place  for  light  Indian  canoes 
to  float  securely  on  the  water,  or  for  theit 
temporary  wigwams  to  be  erected  oil  the 
land.  Only  about  six  thousand  Indians  ob- 
tained a  miserable,  scanty  subsistence  iil  all 


4 


■J 


:m 


^M 


^ 


tHE    OASCO   CAPTIVE.  1 

the  great  forests,  and  along  all  the  great 
rivers  of  Maine.  The  gospel  had  not  com«  . 
among  them  to  teach  them  to  labor^  and  td 
lay  aside  the  tomahawk  and  scalping  knife> 
the  arrow  and  the  gun,  and  love  their  neigh^ 
bor  as  themselves,  and  worship  God  and  heai* 
his  holy  word  on  the  sacred  Sabbath.  They 
j  were  therefore  immoral  and  wretched,  as  the 
heathen  generally  are*  And  this  is  to  be 
deplored,  that  they  were  the  worse  for  the 
influence  of  professed  Christians  over  themi 
The  French  and  English,  though  neighbors 
to  each  other,  and  bearing  the  Christian 
name,  were  often  engaged  in  the  unnatural) 
unchristian  work,  of  doing  each  other  all  the 
harm  they  could,  even  to  the  destruction  of 
life.  From  the  French,  therefore,  in  Can* 
ada)  the  Indians  came  with  powder  and  gunsj 
and  with  French  priests  and  military  officers 
to  lead  them  on  to  the  dreadful  work  of  mur- 
dering and  plundering  and  enslaving  the  Eng- 
lish families  along  the  shores  of  Maine*  They 
came  down  the  rivers,  as  the  Androscoggin 
and  the  Kennebec ;  both  to  subsist  on  the 


4' 


►  • 


•f>- 


^^v 


•  m 


HANNAH    SWANTON; 


fish  they  caught  in  their  waters,  and  to  trans-^ 
port  themselves  in  their  birch  canoes.  As 
these  rivers  meet  together  within  a  few  miles 
of  the  north-eastern  arm  of  Casco  Bay,  here 
was  a  favorable  place  for  their  passage,  and 
then,  after  carrying  terror  and  distress  and 
havoc  to  the  settlements  along  in  Maine,  in 
Casco,  Saco^  Wells  and  Berwick,  they  re- 
tired by  Salmon  Falls  river,  and  perhaps  by 
Connecticut  river^  or  Lake  Champlain,  back 
to  Canada.  Where,  all  this  time,  were  the 
ministers  of  Jesus  ?  Where  was  the  peaceful 
and  benevolent  spirit  of  His  religion  ?  One 
might  think,  as  he  looked  at  these  melan- 
choly scenes,  that  his  followers  were  sent 
out,  not  to  save  men's  lives,  but  to  destroy 
them.  Had  all  the  professed  Christians, 
who  had  access  to  the  Indians,  given  them 
the  Bible,  instead  of  the  musket,  and  the 
spelling-book  instead  of  the  murderous  knife, 
other  scenes  would  have  been  witnessed ; 
and  this  interesting  race  of  men  might  now 
have  been  happy  cultivators  of  the  soil,  and 
have  presented  a  living,  enlightened,  Chris- 


♦ « 


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THE   CA800    CAPTIVE. 


9 


,„y* 


tian  population,  where  now  they  are  remem- 
bered only  as  an  extirpated  people.  Never 
more  may  the  intercourse  of  Christians  prove 
so  fatal  to  any  nation  !  May  we  not  involve 
them  in  our  quanels  to  their  destruction  ; 
Imt  go  together  in  the  spirit  of  brotherly  love, 
io  present  them  the  gospel — and  to  preserve, 
instruct,  reform,  evangelize  and  bless  them. 

The  early  settlers  of  Maine  were  the  vic- 
tims not  only  of  national  ambition,  but  of 
religious  bigotry.  Men  are  necessarily  reli- 
gious in  some  way,  for  their  reason  teaches 
them  that  there  must  be  some  being  or  beings 
superior  to  themselves ;  and  their  conscience 
convinces  them  of  sin,  and  they  have  natu- 
ral fears  of  evil.  If  therefore  they  have  no 
revelation  of  the  true  God,  and  of  the  right 
way  of  escaping  his  displeasure  by  the  only 
sufficient  sacrifice  for  sin,  the  oflering  of  the 
divine  Redeemer,  they  will  fear  false  gods, 
and  will  depend  on  burdensome  ceremonies, 
"rms,  austerities,  or  cruel  rites. 


empty 


If 


men  do  not  adopt  the  true  religion,  they  will 
adopt  a  corrupt  or  false  religion  ;  and  such  a 


t     VI 


i.      "•■ 


% 


*. 


'W' 


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k      i 


W-, 


<  ■' 


10 


'^■ 


..I      HANNAH    SWANTON, 


m 


religion  will  curse  luther  than  bless  a  people, 
and  will  make  them  intolerant,  cruel  and 
vicious,  instead  of  reforming  them  and  making 
them  holy. 

Such  was  the  religion  of  the  '^rench  of 
Canada ; — ^it  was  the  bigotry  of  the  Church 
of  Rome.  This  people  have  been  repre- 
sented as  naturally  kind  and  hospitable. 
Mrs.  Swanton  found  them  such  ;  and  others 
have  borne  the  same  testimony  of  them  ;  but 
their  religion  did  not  encourage  this  disposi- 
tion ;  and  this  fact  may  appear  in  the  follow- 
ing narrative.  The  true  character  of  Cath- 
blic  bigotry,  and  the  danger  experienced  by 
the  first  settlers  of  Maine  from  this  spirit, 
may  be  seen  by  what  will  now  be  related  of 
a  conference  between  a  minister  of  Boston 
and  a  company  of  captive  Indian  warriors, 
in  1696.  ^i 


't. 


.■?»■ 


-^ 


•'■■•■    M^. 


BOMMASEEN,     AN    INDIAN    CHIEF. 

BoMMASEEN  was  onc  of  the  Indian  chiefs 
or  urinces,  and  was  taken,  with  some  fel- 

.  0' 


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tH£    CASCO   CAPTIVE. 


wi^-' 


low  warriors,  in  one  of  the  settlenjents  of 
Maine^  Being  now,  with  some  other  Indians^ 
a  prisoner  in  Boston,  he  desired  a  conference 
with  a  minister  of  the  city,  which  was  grant- 
ed him.  Bonmiaseen,  with  the  assent  of  the 
other  Indians^  then  told  the  minister  that  he 
wished  for  his  instruction  in  tlie  Christian  re- 
ligion ;  as  he  feared  that  the  French,  in  what 
they  taught  about  this  religion,  had  deceiv- 
ed them.  The  minister  inquired  of  himj 
what  instructions  of  the  French  appeared  most 
suspicious.  He  replied,  that  the  French 
taught  them,  that  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  was 
of  the  French  nation ;  that  his  mother,  the 
Virgin  Mary,  was  a  French  lady  ;  that  they 
were  the  English  who  had  murdered  him  j 
and  that  whereas  he  rose  from  the  dead,  and 
ascended  into  heaven,  all  who  would  recom-- 
mend  themselves  to  his  favor,  must  avenge 
him  on  the  English  as  far  as  they  could.  He 
risked  *the  minister  whether  these  things  were 
J^^X-  so,  and  prayed  for  instruction  in  the  true 
Christian  religion.  The  minister,  considering 
that  it  was  the  disposition  and  manner  of  the 


W^ 


■.*■ 


"W 


y> 


'•S* ' 


*.   -4. 


i^ 


HANNAH  SWANTON, 


Indians  to  use  much  similitude  in  their  dis« 
courses,  looked  about  for  some  agreeable  ob** 
jeotj  by  which  he  might  with  apt  comparison, 
convey  the  ideas  of  truth  into  the  minds  of  the 
savages ;  and  he  thought  none  would  be  more 
agreeable  to  them  than  a  tankard  of  drink, 
which  happened  then  to  be  standing  on  the 
table.  He  proceeded,  therefore,  in  the  fbt- 
owing  manner  with  them .  ^ ' 


HOW  ROMAN  CATHOLICS  CORRUPT 
*.    THE  GOSPEL. 


He  told  them,  as  with  proper  actions  he 
presented  the  signs  to  them,  that  our  Lord^ 
Jesus  Christ  had  given  us  a  good  religion, 
which  migbt  be  compared  to  the  good  drink 
in  the  cup  upon  the  table  -.^mm     «^ 

That  if  ^e  take  this  good  religion,  (even 
that  good  drink)  into  our  hearts,  it  will  do  us 
good,  and  preserve  us  from  death.  That 
God's  Book,  the  Bible,  is  the  cup  wherein 
that  good  drink  of  religion  is  offered  us. 


* 


■^^ 


X  ■«, 


THE   CA8C0   CAPTIVE. 


13 


'  dis* 
e  ob- 
rison, 
of  the 
more 
drink, 
n  the 

16  fol*' 


f';    ■ 


UPT 


^.m ' 


)ns  he 
r  Lord^ 
ligion, 
drink 

(even 
1  do  us 
Thai 
(Therein 

s. 


That  the  French,  having  the  cup  of  good 
drink  in  their  hands,  had  put  poison  into  it, 
and  had  then  made  the  Indians  drink  that  poi- 
soned liquor ;  by  which  they  run  mad,  and  be- 
gan to  kill  the  English,  though  they  could  not 
but  know  that  it  must  unavoidably  end  in  their 
own  destruction  at  last. 

That  it  was  plain  the  English  had  put  no 
poison  into  the  good  drink ;  for  they  set  the 
cup  wide  open,  and  invited  all  men  to  come 
and  see  before  they  tasted,  even  the  very  In- 
dians themselves  ;  for  they  had  translated  the 
Bible  into  Indian.  That  they  might  mfer  from 
this  that  the  French  had  put  poison  into  the 
good  drink,  as  they  had  kept  the  cup  fast  shut, 
(the  Bible  in  an  unknown  tongue,  the  Latin,) 
and  kept  their  hands  upon  the  eyes  of  the  In- 
dians, when  they  put  it  to  their  moutlis. 

The  Indians,  expressing  themselves  to  be 
well  satisfied  with  what  the  minister  had  thus 
far  said,  prayed  him  to  go  on,  and  shew  them 
what  was  the  good  drink,  and  what  was  the 
poison  which  the  French  had  put  into  it. 

He  then  stated  to  them  distinctly  the  chief 


*^ 


^1-    « 


14 


HANNAH   SWANTON^ 


>■! 


Articles  of  the  Christian  religion,  with  all  the 
simplicity  and  sincerity  of  a  protestant ;  ad- 
ding upon  each,  This  is  the  good  drink  in  the 
Lord's  cop  of  life;  and  they  still  professed 
that  they  liked  it  all. 

He  further  demonstrated  to  them,  how  the 
Papists  had,  in  their  idolatrous  popery,  in  some 
way  or  other  depraved  every  one  of  these  ar- 
ticles, with  base  ingredients  of  their  own  in- 
vention ;  adding  upon  each.  This  is  the  poi- 
son which  the  French  have  put  into  the  cup* 
At  last  he  mentioned  this  article.  .  .j  .;  -t 
To  obtain  the  pardon  of  your  sins,  you 
must  confess  them  to  God,  and  pray  to  him 
to  pardon  them  for  the  sake  of  Jesus  Christ, 
who  died  for  the  sins  of  his  people.  God 
loves  Jesus  Christ  infinitely ;  and  if  you  place 
your  eye  on  Jesus  Christ,  and  him  only,  when 
you  beg  the  pardon  of  your  sins,  God  will  par- 
don them«  You  need  confess  your  sins  to 
none  but  God,  except  when  men  have  known 
your  sms,  or  have  been  hurt  by  them ;  and 
then  those  men  should  know  that  you  confess 
your  Mns ;  but,  after  all,  none  but  God  can 
pttrdoB  thmi. 


THE    CASCO    CAPTIVE. 


15 


lown 
and 

bfess 
can 


<>  He  then  added,  The  French  have  put  poi- 
son into  this  good  drink.  They  tell  you,  that 
you  must  confess  your  sins  to  a  priest,  and 
submit  to  a  penance  enjoined  by  a  priest ;  and 
this  priest  is  to  give  you  a  pardon.  There  is 
no  need  of  all  this  ceremony  to  obtain  par- 
don.  It  is  nothing  but  French  poison,  all  of  it. 

The  Indians  appeared  astonished  to  meet 
with  one  who  would  put  them  in  a  way  to  ob- 
tain the  pardon  of  their  sins  without  paying 
their  beaver  skins  for  it ;  and,  in  a  rapture  of 
admiration,  they  fell  on  their  knees,  took  the 
minister's  hand  into  theirs,  and  began  to  kiss 
it  with  an  extreme  show  of  affection.        • 

He  shook  them  off,  however,  with  dislike 
of  their  posture ;  and  Bommaseen,  with  the 
rest,  stood  up;  and  lifted  up  his  eyes  and 
hands  to  heaven,  and  declared  that  God  should 
be  judge  of  his 'heart  in  what  he  said.  He 
then  said,  "  Sir,  I  thank  you  for  these  things ; 
I  resolve  to  spit  up  all  the  French  poison ; 
you  shall  be  my  father ;  I  will  be  your  son  ; 
I  beseech  you  to  continue  to  instruct  me  in 
that  religion  which  may  bring  me  to  the  sal* 
vation  of  my  soul," 


^ 


16 


HANNAH  SWANTON, 


Of  the  result  of  this  conference  it  is  only 
added — ^Now  God  knows  what  heart  this  In- 
dian had  when  he  so  expressed  himself ;  and 
to  him  let  us  leave  it.    ,       :       .      »    «it 


%* 


SCENl&RT  ABOUT   PORTLAND. 


The  powerful  influence  of  artful  priests  op- 
erated, therefore,  upon  the  savage  spirits  of 
the  Indians,  to  urge  them  on  to  assault,  and 
harass  and  destroy  the  young  families  of 
Maine.  Thus  a  cloud  was  gathering  afar  off, 
that  was  to  move  on  sullenly,  and  pour  its  ru- 
inous storm  upon  the  little  settlement  on  the 
Neck  in  Casco  Bay.  This  Neck  is  a  tract  of 
land  between  Fore  River  and  Back  Cove 
which  the  buildings  of  Portland  now  cover. 
It  is  a  graceful  sweep  between  two  hills,  nar- 
rowing as  it  sinks,  till  the  middle  forms  a  neck, 
and  then  widening  as  it  rises  again  to  the  op- 
posite hill.  From  the  hill  on  the  east  at  the 
end  of  the  peninsula,  called  Munjoy's  hill,  an 
ei^tei^ivejand  now  a  beautiful  prospect  is  pre- 


to 


Ir 


.^     .   .-„i(.v. 


,i  ...--..^  ej>£i-ji>f.ii.!. 


# 


rTHE    CASCO    CAPTITE. 


a 


sented.  Immediately  under  your  eye  lies  the 
populous  and  spacious  grave-yard  ;  and  then 
the  houses,  interspersed  with  churches  and 
other  public  buildings  stretch  along,  till  the  eye 
rests  upon  the  agreeable  and  yet  unoccupied 
plain  which  forms  the  summit  of  the  hill  on 
the  other  side  of  the  city.  Along  the  left,  on 
Fore  River,  is  the  shipping,  which  adds  much 
life  and  cheerfulness  to  the  scenery.  Beyond 
the  city,  West  and  North,  the  land  gently 
rises  like  an  amphitheatre  spreading  to  the 
view,  through  the  distance  of  thirty  miles ; 
and  then,  beyond  these  hills,  at  about  sixty 
miles  distance,  rises  the  majestic  White 
Mountains,  white  almost  through  the  year 
with  their  lasting  snows,  and  thus  suggesting 
the  name  they  bear.  Over  this  prospect  are 
presented  to  the  vision,  villages  adorned  with 
temples  of  the  living  God.  At  the  east  is 
exhibited  a  delightfully  mingled  scenery  of 
land  and  water,  furnished  by  the  expanse  of 
Casco  Bay  and  its  many  Islands,  with  the 
rivers  that  run,  and  the  points  that  project  in- 
to it.    On  the  south  extends  the  great  and 


«■. 


* 


'*.. 


^.■ 


18 


HANNAH    SWANTON, 


wide  sea,  spotted  here  and  there  with  sails, 
that  appear  large  or  small  according  to  their 
distance ;  and  all  suggest  interesting  thoughts 
of  the  life  and  bustle  and  wealth  which  they 
contain.  In  a  spot  where  the  prospect  all 
around  is  so  wide,  and  the  objects  seen  are  so 
various,  so  beautiful,  or  interesting  in,  them- 
selves, and  so  finely  grouped,  the  religious 
mind  will  adore  in  thought  the  power,  skill 
and  beneficence  of  God.   ^     ^    ^        .. 

How  monstrous  that,  amidst  the  grandeur, 
the  beauty,  the  luxuriance,  and  the  nameless 
accommodations  for  man,  which  the  earth  pre- 
sents, through  the  goodness  of  the  Creator, 
there  should  be  hypocrisy,  bigotry,  encroach- 
ment, fraud,  violence  and  bloodshed.  How 
strong  is  the  contrast  between  the  glory  of 
God's  works  of  creation,  and  the,  depravity  of 
the  rational  beings  who  dwell  amidst  these 
works!  r         ^^        ,        4, 

Was  this  fair  world  made  to  \^  marred  by 
the  various  operations  of  war ;  and  by  scenes 
of  cruelty,  fmud  and  sensuality  ?  We  might 
think  the  earth  would  refiise  to  bear  so  much 


I 

M 


THX   CA9C0   CAPTIVE. 


19 


1  sails, 
:o  their 
noughts 
ih  they 
lect  all 
i  are  so 
^  them- 
eligious 
er,  skill 

■andeur, 

ameless 

irth  pre- 

reator, 

roacli- 

How 

lory  of 

vity  of 

these 

l^ed  by 

scenes 

[might 

much 


^ 


i 


i; 


wickedness,  and  that  the  sun  would  refuse  to 
look  upon  it.  ^ 

There  have  been  times  when  this  idea 
has  been  realized  ;  when  God  has  caused  the 
earth  to  open  and  swallow  up  daring  offen- 
ders, and  when  the  heavens  have  poured  dowh 
destructive  storms  upon  a  wicked  and  ac- 
cursed people.         •  ^ 

Let  the  reader  pause  and  reflect  that  man's 
wickedness  is  suffered  to  rage  for  this  reason, 
that,  as  he  is  created  with  the  powers  of  a 
moral  agent,  he  is  left  to  act  in  this  capacity, 
that  he  may  form  and  exhibit  his  character, 
and  may,  according  to  it,  be  either  cursed  or 
blessed.  ■    -       ^ 

The  history,  therefore,  of  every  village,  of 
every  family,  and,  indeed,  of  every  individual, 
will  be  rich  in  instruction.  It  will  exhibit  man's 
guilt  and  folly,  and  their  fatal  consequences  ; 
or  it  will  display  his  fear  of  God — ^his  wis- 
dom, and  the  happy  result  of  faith  and  obedi- 
ence. :  ^    ' 

Munjoy's  hill  is  now  completely  bare,  with- 
out tree  or  shrub,  and  with  only  short  and 


t 


'.. 


do 


&ANI9AU    8WANT0N, 


n: 


W- 


scanty  grass  cropped  close  by  the  cows  that 
in  summer  days  pasture  on  it,  and  crowned  on 
its  summit  by  the  Observatory  and  a  few 
dwelling  houses,  and  occupied  on  its  brow  by 
a  decaying  battery,  and  about  its  sides  and 
base  by  the  habitations  of  a  populous  city. 
But  at  the  period  to  which  this  history  re- 
lates, it  was  covered  with  a  forest ;  and,  if 
you  could  look  through  its  trees,  upon  the 
wilderness  below,  you  might  near  the  shore 
see  the  abodes  of  twenty-five  families)  some 
of  them  garrisoned  houses ;  and  at  the  left, 
on  a  point,  projecting  into  Fore  River,  and 
terminating  in  a  cliff,*  Fort  Loyal,  the  place 
of  refiige  and  defence,  to  which  families  re- 
tired when  their  garrisons  could  not  resist  a 
powerful  foe.  Here  lived  the  family  of  Mrs. 
Swanton.  - 


♦Where  King  street  terminates,  and  where  is 
now  the  Steamboat  Landing.        ;.,    ,  ;*     f.  i.;H^uj 


.•V  f\'*     C-' 


,^«.  /^l 


«-•■<*<„.. 


1^ 


.->„i ' 


!•> 


I-. 


»-';.> 


-|*^.p;s 


w: 


^ 


TH£   CA8C0   CAPTIVE. 


21 


> ' 


;'■> 


EVIL    INFLUENCE    OF    ROMAN     CATHO- 
LIC   PRIESTS    ON    THE    INDIANS 
or    IfAINE. 

Over  the  Indians  of  New  England,  the 
French  of  Canada  early  acquiried  a  powerful 
influence ;  and  from  Quebec  they  excited  the 
tenants  of  the  woods  to  attack  the  young  and 
feeble  settlements  on  the  coast  of  Maine. 
Thury,  about  1690,  was  a  Catholic  missiona- 
ry on  the  banks  of  the  Penobscot ;  and  in  his 
zeal  for  his  faith,  he  labored  to  persuade  the 
Indians  that,  by  exterminating  all  the  English 
families  in  Maine,  they  would  again  become 
sole  masters  of  the  land,  and  would  do  God 
service.  "My  children,"  said  this  warrior 
missionary  to  his  flock,  "  God  commands  you 
to  shake  the  sleep  from  your  eyes.  The 
hatchet  must  be  cleaned  of  its  i^st,  to  avenge 
lum  of  his  enemies  and  to  secure  to  you  your 
rights.  Night  and  day  a  continual  prayer 
shall  ascend  to  him  for  your  success ;  an  un- 


.f^ 


« 


■■m 


•%.i,; 


.  f 


89 


HANNAH  IWANTON, 


ceasing  rosary  shall  be  observed  until  you  re- 
turn covered  with  the  glory  of  triumph." 

Monsieur  Denonville,  a  French  ruler  in 
Canada,  acknowledged  to  the  Minister  of 
Marine  in  France,  that  he  owed  to  the  mis- 
sionaries, and  particularly  to  two  priests,  the 
friendship  of  the  Indians  in  Maine,  and  their 
success  in  their  expeditions  against  the  En- 
glish,    -f' 


r    I 


•.Iff'   '.ii-'Ki  ifiir. 


'y.*i  <M"' tj!  i\ 


In  1688,  the  Indians,  encouraged  by  prom- 
ise of  assistance  from  the  French  in  Canada, 
began  to  assail  the  eastern  plantations  in  Maine, 
after  some  years  of  peace.  The  next  year  a 
large  body  of  Indians  in  120  canoes  attacked 
Falmouth,  now  Portland.  In  the  merciful 
providence  of  God,  Col.  Benjamin  Church, 
with  soldiers  from  Massachusetts,  arrived  the 
very  day  before  the  attack  was  made,  and 
thus  saved  the  whole  population  of  the  town 
from  the  merciless  savages.  In  1690  the 
place  was  assailed  again,  the  enemies  consist- 
ino:  of  French  and  Indians.  The  inhabitants 
had  no  public  military  force  for  their  defence, 
and  they  fled  to  their  garrisons,  whicti  were 


*  * 


'  i « 


*'^, 


THi:   CA8C0   CAPTIVt. 


is 


rou  re- 

• 

Liler  in 
ster  of 
tie  mis- 
;ts,  the 
d  their 
he  £n- 

^  prom- 
panada, 
Maine, 
year  a 
ttacked 
lerciful 
hurch, 
^ed  the 
and 
e  town 
90  the 
onsist- 
ibitants 
efence,' 
I  were 


f 


dwelling  houses,  built  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
allow  of  being  defended  against  an  enemy* 
From  the  garrisons  the)'  retreated  to  the  fort. 
Here  they  defended  themselves  for  several 
days ;  but  at  length,  on  the  20th  of  May,  they 
surrendered,  on  condition  that  they  should  be 
safely  conducted  to  the  next  English  town, 
and  thut  the  Governor  of  the  French  should 
hoM  up  his  hand  and  swear,  by  the  great  and 
ever  living  God,  that  the  condition  should  be 
observed.  .» 

But  when  they  had  delivered  themselves 
up,  the  engagement  was  violated,  and  men, 
women,  and  children  were  suffered  to  be  made 
captives  in  the  hands  of  the  heathen,  and  to 
be  cruelly  murdered,  especially  the  wounded 
men.  Such  are  the  fatal  fruits  of  the  custom 
of  war !  Such  is  the  offspring  of  the  bigotry 
of  a  corrupt  church !  Such  are  the  conse- 
quences of  man's  apostacy  from  God !  If  in- 
dividuals of  Christian  nations  have  suffered 
firom  the  violence  and  perfidy  of  pagans  ;  oth- 
ers, disgracing  the  Christian  name,  have  in- 
flicted enormous  wrongs  upon  uncivilized  na- 


..?' 


■* 


■  'iyfi^.-i5t^"T;'-!^¥F^»: 


34 


KANNAB    SWANTON. 


li 

f 

I 


•* 


tf' 


m 


tions.  Our  ancestors  are  not  guiltless.  They 
visited  this  country,  with  the  sword  in  one 
hand,  while  they  held  the  Bible  in  the  other, 
and  they  looked  upon  the  Indians  too  much 
as  savages,  who  were  to  be  coerced  or  extir- 
pated, rather  than  as  rational  beings  who  might 
be  Christianized.  It  is  humbling  to  observe 
how  little  has  been  done,  flrom  the  time  when 
Maine  was  explored  and  settled,  to  this  day, 
to  instruct  the  Indians  in  the  knowledge  of  the 
Gospel,  by  Protestant  teachers.  At  this  day, 
missionaries  labor  with  safety  in  all  countries ; 
and  the  opposition  they  encounter,  is  fix)m 
Papal  rather  than  from  pagan  enemies. — 
God  has,  however,  wrenched  the  sword  from 
the  hand  of  antichrist,  and  he  can  only  rage 
and  threaten,  not  smite  and  destroy.  But  it 
was  not  so  in  the  early  days  of  New  England. 
The  Pope  has  the  same  disposition  now  as 
then,  but  not  the  same  power.  The  Roman 
Church  professes  to  be  infallible,  and  must 
therefore  be  immutable ;  and  what  it  was  in 
the  days  of  its  power,  it  is  in  disposition  now 
in  the  days  of  its  weakness.     Now,  however, 


i 

\ 

a 

ri 

M 
tl 

V< 


ed 


f 


■»  ■■%■ 


T^;Ti;?P7TB7^3T-'S|*'^' 


less.    They 
^ord  in  one 
a  the  other, 
IS  too  much 
>d  or  extir- 
5  who  might 
to  observe 
time  when 
to  thb  day, 
sdge  of  the 
it  this  day, 
countries ; 
Jr,  is  from 
Bnemies.-— 
word  from 
I  only  rage 
y.     But  it 
V  England, 
ion  now  as 
he  Roman 
»  and  must 
Lt  it  was  in 
»sition  now 
,  however. 


^1^: 


THE   CASCO   CAPTIVE.  '        35 

We  of  shewing  hi.  natural  S       ""'" 

Among  ^e  persons  who  suffered  by  French 
Jndian,  and  Roman  r^^u  i-     1       "J^'^^ncii, 

FahnoU  waTZl?        '^  ''°''""^'  ^^en 


ance.  ^r^ 


.  •-  * 


# 


THE     INDIANS, 

--  slain,  and  myZ'  Sren  ^^  '"^'^'^ 
With  me.     The  elde,f  J  '*'*'*  '^«» 

about  two  mon  hf  fterf  Z  ?T  ''^y  ""^^^ 
'^t  >vere  scattered  Jm^     /"'  ^'  ''^ 

*^^rerrr?i---: 
ri--iJ£i'tS;:ret' 

a 


%■ 


a 


^ 


HANNAH    SWANTON, 


with  them  without  danger  either  to  my  life  or 
theirs ;  for  our  mutual  condolence  and  affec- 
tion so  displeased  our  Indian  masters,  to  whose 
share  we  fell,  that  they  would  threaten  to  kill 
us,  if  we  conversed  much,  or  cried  together. 
Thus  my  condition  was  like  what  the  Lord 
threatened  in  Ez.  xxiv.  22,  23. — "  Ye  shall 
not  cover  your  lips,  nor  eat  the  bread  of  men. 
And  your  tires  shall  be  upon  your  heads,  and 
your  shoes  upon  your  feet ;  ye  shall  not  mourn 
nor  weep ;  but  ye  shall  pine  away  for  your 
iniquities,  and  mourn  one  toward  another.'' 
We  dared  not  mourn  nor  weep  in  the  sight  of 
our  enemies,  lest  we  should  lose  our  lives. 
At  first,  while  the  enemy  feasted  on  our  En- 
glish provisions,  I  might  have  had  some  with 
them,  but  then  I  was  so  filled  with  sorrow  and 
tears,  that  I  had  little  appetite  to  eat ;  and 
when  my  appetite  returned,  our  English  food 
was  spent ;  and  the  Indians  themselves  want- 
ed, and  we  much  more,  and  then  I  pined  with 
hunger.  We  had  no  corn  nor  bread ;  but 
sometimes  ground  nuts,  acorns,  purslain,  hog- 
weed,  weeds,  roots  and  sometimes  dogs'  flesh. 


j£ 


■^> 


life  or 
afFec- 
whose 
to  kill 
pettier. 
3  Lord 
"e  shall 
)f  men. 
,ds,  and 
t  mourn 
or  your 
lother." 
sight  of 
r  lives, 
lur  En- 
e  with 
ow  and 
t ;   and 
sh  food 
iS  want- 
led  with 
id;   but 
In,  hog- 
s' aesh, 


;f 


THE    CA9C0    CAPTIVE. 


<' 


but  not  sufficient  of  these  to  satisfy  hunger. 
We  had  no  success  at  hunting,  except  that 
one  bear  was  killed,  of  which  I  had  part. 
Another  time  I  had  a  very  small  part  of  a  tur- 
tle ;  and  once  an  Indian  gave  me  a  piece  of  a 
moose's  liver,  which  was  a  sweet  morsel  to 
me.  We  had  fish  also,  when  we  could  catch 
it.  Thus  1  continued  with  them,  hurried  up 
and  down  the  wilderness,  from  May  20th  to 
the  middle  of  Febmary,  continually  carrying  a 
great  burden.  I  must  go,  too,  at  their  pace, 
or  be  immediately  killed.  At  the  same  time 
I  suffered  from  cold  through  want  of  clothing, 
being  dressed  by  them  in  Indian  apparel,  with 
a  slight  blanket,  no  stockings,  and  but  one 
pair  of  Indian  shoes,  and  of  their  leather  stock- 
ings for  the  winter.  My  feet  were  sometimes 
wounded  by  sharp  stones  and  prickly  bushes, 
and  at  other  times  they  were  pinched  by  snow 
and  ice ;  for  upon  this  I  traveled,  ready  to  be 
frozen,  and  to  faint  from  want  of  food,  so  that 
I  often  thought  I  could  go  no  further,  but 
must  lie  down  and  let  them  kill  me  if  they, 
would.      Yet   then,   God   so   renewed    my 


ir-:^-yr^r-'-r;-v,- 


28 


HANNAH    8WANT0N, 


Strength,  that  I  went  on  still  further,  as  my 
master  required,  and  held  out  with  them. 

Though  many  Englishmen  were  taken,  and 
I  was  with  them,  at  times,  while  about  Casco 
Bay  and  Kennebec  River,  yet  at  Norridge- 
wock  we  were  separated,  and  none  of  the 
English  were  in  our  company,  but  a  man 
named  John  York,  and  myself.  We  were 
both  almost  starved,  and  yet  we  were  told  that 
if  we  could  not  travel  on  with  them  they  would 
kill  us.  And  accordingly  when  Mr.  York 
grew  weak  from  want  of  food,  they  killed  him, 
and  threatened  me  with  the  same  fate.  Once 
my  Indian  mistress  and  myself  were  left  alone, 
while  the  rest  of  the  party  went  away  to  fish ; 
and  they  lefl  us  no  food  from  Sabbath  morn- 
ing to  the  next  Saturday,  except  a  piece  of  an 
animal  that  could  not  be  eaten.  On  Satur- 
day I  was  sent  by  my  mistress  to  that  part  of 
the  island  where  I  should  most  probably  see 
some  canoe,  and  there  make  a  fire  and  smoke, 
to  invite  some  Indians,  if  I  should  spy  any,  to 
come  and  relieve  us.  I  discovered  a  canoe, 
and  by  signs  I  invited  them  to  the  shore. 


l^ 


*  •» 


as  my 
n. 

n,  and 
Casco 
rridge- 
of  the 
a  man 
e  were 
)ld  that 
^  would 
.  York 
ed  him, 
Once 
[t  alone, 
|to  fish ; 
mom- 
;e  of  an 
Satur- 
part  of 
Ay  see 
tmoke, 
iny,  to 
canoe, 
shore. 


THE    CASCO    CAPTIVE. 


^9 


They  proved  to  be  Indian  women,  who  un- 
derstood our  wants,  and  one  of  them  gave  me 
a  roasted  eel,  which  seemed  to  me  the  most 
palatable  food  I  ever  eat.  Sometimes  we 
lived  on  whortleberries,  and  sometimes  on  a 
kind  of  wild  cherry  which  grew  on  bushes. 
These  I  was  once  sent  to  gather  in  a  season 
so  bitterly  cold,  tliat  I  was  not  able  to  grasp 
them  with  my  benumbed  fingers.  Amidst 
these  hardships  God  preserved  me  from  sick- 
ness, and  from  such  weakness  as  would  have 
disabled  me  from  traveling  when  required. 

My  Indian  mistress  had  been  brought  up  by 
the  English  at  Black  Point,  in  Scarborough ,  near 
to  Falmouth,  and  was  now  married  to  a  Canada 
Indian,  and  had  become  a  Papist ;  she  would 
sometimes  say,  that,  had  the  English  been  as 
careful  to  instruct  her  in  their  religion  as  the 
French  were  to  instruct  her  in  theirs,  she  might 
have  been  of  their  religion ;  and  she  would 
say,  that  God  delivered  us  into  their  hands  to 
punish  us  for  our  sins,  and  this  I  knew  was 
true  as  to  myself.  And  as  I  desired  to  recol- 
lect all  the  sins,  for  which  the  Lord  punished 
3* 


f 


#. 


30 


HANNAH    SWANTON, 


j  W 


r 


me,  so  this  lay  many  a  time  very  heavy  upon 
my  spirit,  that  I  had  left  the  public  worship 
and  ordinances  of  God,  where  I  formerly  lived, 
at  Beverly,  and  removed  to  Casco  Bay,  where 
there  was  no  church  nor  minister  of  the  Gos- 
pel. And  this  we  did,  for  large  accommoda- 
tions in  the  world,  thereby  exposing  our  chil- 
dren to  be  brought  up  ignorantly  like  Indians, 
and  exposing  ourselves  also  to  forget  what  we 
had  been  taught.  Thus  we  turned  our  back 
upon  God's  ordinances,  to  get  this  world's 
goods.  But  now  God  stripped  me  of  these 
things  also ;  and  I  could  not  but  justify  him  in  all 
that  befel  me,  and  acknowledge  that  he  had 
punished  me  less  than  my  iniquities  deserved. 
I  was  now  bereaved  of  husband,  children, 
friends,  neighbors,  house,  estate,  bread,  clothes, 
and  suitable  lodging.  My  very  life  was  daily 
exposed,  as  I  was  in  continual  danger  of  being 
killed  by  the  Indians,  or  of  pining  to  death 
from  famine,  or  of  tiring  to  death  by  hard  trav- 
elling, or  of  perishing  with  cold  in  the  winter 
season.  I  was  so  amazed  with  many  troubles, 
and  perplexed  by  anxious  cares,  how  to  pre- 


r 
n 


THE   CASCO   CAPTIVE. 


31 


•^ 


y  upon 
worship 
[y  lived, 
,  where 
ae  Gos- 
nmoda- 
►ur  chil- 
Indians, 
vhat  we 
lur  back 
world's 
Df  these 
im  in  all 
;  he  had 
^served, 
hildren, 
clothes, 
as  daily 
)f  being 

0  death 
rd  trav- 

1  winter 
'oubles, 
to  pre- 


\ 


serve  myself  from  danger,  and  supply  my  ur- 
gent wants,  that  I  had  not  time  nor  leisure  to 
consider  aright  the  great  concerns  of  my  soul ; 
neither  had  I  any  Bible  or  good  book  to  look 
into,  or  Christian  friend  to  consult,  in  these 
distresses ;  but  I  may  say,  the  words  of  God, 
which  I  had  formerly  heard  or  read,  came  often 
into  my  mind,  and  kept  me  from  perishing  in 
my  afflictions.  For  example,  when  they 
threatened  many  times  to  kill  me,  I  often 
thought  of  the  words  of  our  Saviour  to  Pilate, 
— "  Thou  couldsl  have  no  power  at  all  against 
me,  except  it  were  given  thee  from  above." 
I  knew  they  had  no  power  to  kill  me  but  what 
the  Lord  gave  them,  and'  I  hoped  he  would 
not  suffer  them  to  slay  me,  but  deliver  me  out 
of  their  hands,  and  in  his  time  restore  me  to 
my  country  again.  When  they  told  me  that 
my  eldest  son  was  killed  by  the  Indians,  I 
thought  of  Jer.  xxxiii.  8, — "I  will  cleanse 
them  from  all  their  iniquity  whereby  they  have 
sinned  against  me,  and  I  will  pardon  all  their 
iniquities."  I  hoped,  though  the  enemy  had 
barbarously  killed  his  body,  yet  that  the  Lord 


H 


^. 


82 


HANNAH  8WANT0M, 


had  pardoned  his  sins,  and  that  his  soul  was 
safe.     When  I  thought  of  my  many  troubles, 
I  remembered  Job's  complaint — "  Thou  num- 
berest  my  steps,  and  watchest,  over  my  sin ; 
my  transgression  is  sealed  up  in  a  bag ;  and 
thou  sewest  up  mine  iniquity."     This  hum- 
bled me,  and  made  me  pray  to  God  for  his 
pardoning  mercy  in  Christ ;  and  I  thought  of 
David's  complaint,  and  used  it  in  my  prayers. 
"  How  long  wilt  thou  forget  me,  O  Lord  ?  for- 
ever ?    how  long  wilt  thou  hide  thy  face  from 
me  ?    How  long  shall  I  take  counsel  in  my 
soul,  having  sorrow  in  my  heart  daily  ?   how 
long  shall  mine  enemy  be  exalted  over  me  ? " 
I  sometimes  bemoaned  myself  as  Job. — "  He 
hath  stripped  me  of  my  glory,  and  taken  the 
crown  from  my  head.     He  hath  destroyed  me 
on  every  side,  and  I  am  gone :    and  my  hope 
hath  he  removed  like  a  tree."     Yet  sometimes 
I  was  encouraged  by  those  words  in  Job, — 
^^  Thou  shalt  make  thy  prayer  unto  him,  and 
he  shall  hear  thee,  and  thou  shalt  pay  thy 
vows."     I  made  my  vows  to  the  Lord  that  I 
would  give  myself  up  to  him,  if  he  would  ac- 


-L 


THE    CASCO    CAPTIVE. 


33 


cept  me  in  Jesus  Christ,  and  would  pardon 
my  sins ;  and  I  desired  and  endeavored  to  pay 
my  vows  to  the  Lord.  I  prayed  to  him, — 
**  Rememher  not  against  me  the  sins  of  my 
youth ; "  and  I  besought  him, — "  Judge  me, 
O  God,  and  plead  my  cause  against  an  ungod- 
ly nation ;  deliver  me  from  the  deceitful  and 
unjust  man.  Why  go  I  mourning  because  of 
the  oppression  of  the  enemy."  By  many 
other  scriptures  also,  that  were  brought  to  my 
remembrance,  was  I  instructed,  directed,  and 
comforted. 


MRS.    SWANTON    ARRIVES   AT   QUEBEC. 

Now  I  traveled  over  steep  and  hideous 
mountains,  and  again  over  swamps  and  thick- 
ets of  fallen  trees,  lying  one,  two,  or  three  feet 
from  the  ground,  stepping  from  one  to  anoth- 
er, and  thus  passing  near  a  thousand  in  a  day, 
and  carrying  a  great  burden  on  my  back.  Yet 
I  dreaded  going  to  Canada,  from  fear  that  I 
should  be  persuaded  to  adopt  their  religion ; 


84 


HANNAH  8WANT0N, 


I- 


which  I  had  vowed  to  God  that  I  would  not 
do.     But  at  length  my  sufferings  became  so 
extreme,  that  I  was  willing  to  go  to  preserve 
my  life.      After  many  wearisome  journeys 
through  frost  and  snow,  we  came  to  Canada 
about  the  middle  of  February,  1691 ;  and, 
traveling  over  the  river,  my  master  pitched 
his  wigwam  in  sight  of  some  French  houses ; 
and  then  they  sent  me  to  those  houses  to  beg 
victuals  for  them.     This  I  did,  and  found  the 
French  very  kind  to  me,  giving  me  beef,  and 
pork,  and  bread,  of  which  I  had  been  destitute 
for  nine  months,  so  that  I  experienced  a  hap- 
py change  in  my  diet.     But  so  woua Jed  were 
my  limbs  by  the  roughness  of  my  way,  that 
as  I  traveled,  I  might  be  tracked  by  my  blood 
in  the  snow.     When  1  was  about  to  go  again 
to  beg  of  the  French,  I  asked  leave  to  stay  all 
night,  to  which  my  master  consented,  and  sent 
me  eastward,  to  houses  which  were  towards 
Quebec,  though  then  I  knew  it  not.     Having 
therefore  begged  provisions  at  a  French  house, 
as  it  was  near  night,  as  I  was  myself  refreshed, 
and  had  food  to  carry  to  the  Indians,  I  signi- 


^rHJ£    CASCO    CAPTIVI^. 


3& 


ould  not 
came  so 
preserve 
journeys 
Canada 
)1 ;  and, 
pitched 
houses ; 
es  to  beg 
bund  the 
beef,  and 
I  destitute 
;d  a  hap- 
ied  were 
^ay,  that 
y  blood 
go  again 
|o  stay  all 
and  sent 
towards 
Having 
;h  house, 
lefreshed, 
,  I  signi- 


fied as  well  as  I  could  to  the  French  woman 
that  I  desired  to  stay  by  her  fire  that  night.    ~ 
On  this,  she  laid  a  good  bed  on  the  Boor, 
and  good  coverings  for  me,  and  there  I  lodged 
comfortably.     The  next  morning  before  I  left 
the  house  to  return  to  my  Indian  master,  two 
men  came  in,  and  one  of  them  said  to  me  in 
English — "  I  am  glad  to  see  you,  country  wo* 
man ! "     It  was  exceedingly  reviving  to  me 
to  hear  the  voice  of  an  Englishman.     The 
other  man  was  a  French  tavern  keeper.     Af- 
ter some  conversation,  he  asked  me  to  go  with 
him  to  Quebec,  which,  he  told  me,  was  about 
four  miles  off.     I  replied  that  my  Indian  mas- 
ter might  kill  me  on  my  return.     After  my 
English  friend  had  conversed  in  French  with 
his  fellow  traveler,  he  said  to  me  that  this 
Frenchman  engaged,  that  if  I  would  go  with 
them,  he  would  keep  me  from  returning  to  the 
Indians,  and  I  should  be  ransomed,  and  my 
French  hostess  persuaded  me  to  comply  with 
their  invitation.     I  went  accordingly,  and  was 
conveyed  to  the  house  of  the  Lord-Intendant, 
Monsieur  le  Tonant,  who  was  Chief  Judge, 


5   / 


B6 


HANNAH   SWANTONi 


^ 


and  second  to  the  Governor,  by  whose  lady  I 
*  was  kmdly  entertained,  and  had  French  clothes 
given  me  instead  of  my  Indian  dress,  with 
good  food  and  lodging ;  and  then  I  was  re- 
moved to  the  hospital,  where  I  received  med- 
ical attention  and  was  very  courteously  provi- 
ded for.  After  some  time,  when  my  Indian 
master  and  mistress  came  for  me,  the  lady-iii, 
tendant  paid  my  ransom,  and  I  became  her 
servant.  To  the  honor  of  the  French,  I  must 
say,  they  were  exceedingly  kind  to  me  at  first, 
even  as  much  as  I  could  expect  from  my  own 
countrymen,  so  that  I  wanted  nothing  for  my 
accommodation  which  they  could  supply. 

ROMAN  CATHOLIC  ARGUMENTS. 


Thus  I  experienced  a  great  and  happy 
change  in  my  circumstances,  being  delivered 
firom  my  former  hardships,  and  from  my  cruel 
oppressors;  but  now  I  met  with  stronger 
temptations,  and  spiritual  trouble,  and  danger 
to  my  soul.     For  the  lady,  my  mistress,  the 


■tK* 


?   • 


<<       • 


A    .- 


*, 


B  lady  I 
\  clothes 
3S,  with 
was  re- 
ed med- 
ly  provi- 
Y  Indian 
lady-ir«. 
ame  her 
1, 1  must 
e  at  first, 
my  own 
Ig  for  my 
)ply. 


TS. 

happy 
lelivered 
ly  cruel 
stronger 

danger 
[ess,  the 


*    '  *^  .  ■ 

THE   CJLSOO   CAPTIVE. 


87 


nuns,  the  priests,  the  friars,  and  others,  assailed 
me,  with  all  tb.eir  strength  of  argument,  from 
Scripture,  as  they  interpreted  it,  to  persuade 
me  to  become  a  Papist.  They  urged  me 
with  very  much  zeal,  love,  entreaties,  and 
promises,  to  turn  to  them ;  and  with  many 
threatenings,  and  sometimes  with  harsh  usage, 
because  I  did  not  adopt  their  religion.  In- 
deed, they  sometimes  threatened  to  send  me 
to  France  to  be  burned,  because  I  would  not 
be  a  Papist.  Then  was  I  consoled  by  that 
Scripture—"  We  were  pressed  out  of  measure 
above  strength,  insomuch  that  we  despaired 
even  of  life ;  but  we  had  the  sentence  of  death 
in  ourselves  that  we  should  not  trust  in  our- 
selves.*' I  knew  God  was  able  to  deliver  me^ 
as  he  did  Paul,  and  as  he  did  the  three  chil- 
dren out  of  the  fiery  furnace ;  and  I  believed 
he  would  either  deliver  me  from  them,  or  fit 
me  for  what  he  called  me  to  suffer  for  his  sake 
and  name.  For  their  praying  to  angels  they 
brought  the  history  of  the  angel  who  was  sent 
to  the  virgin  Mary.  I  answered  them  from 
Rev.  xix.  10,  and  xxii.  9.-—"  And  I  fell  at 
4 


V^t 


«'  , 


:^ 


i  »■ 


f 


38 


HANNAH    SWANTON, 


his  feet  to  worship  him*  And  he  said  unto 
me,  See  thou  do  it  not :  I  am  thy  fellow  ser- 
vant, and  of  thy  brethren  that  have  the  testi- 
mony of  Jesus  :  worship  God."  "  And  when 
I  had  heard  and  seen,  I  fell  down  to  worship 
before  the  feet  of  the  angel  which  showed  me 
these  things.  Then  saith  he  unto  me.  See 
thou  do  it  not :  for  I  am  thy  fellow  servant, 
and  of  thy  brethren  the  prophets,  and  of  them 
which  keep  the  sayings  of  this  book :  worship 
God." 

For  purgatory,  they  adduced  Matt.  v.  25, 
-^"  Agree  with  thine  adversary  quickly, 
while  thou  art  in  the  way  with  him ;  lest  at 
any  time  the  adversary  deliver  thee  to  the 
judge,  and  the  judge  deliver  thee  to  the  offi- 
csr,  and  thou  be  cast  into  prison.  Verily,  I 
say  unto  thee,  Thou  shalt  by  no  means  come 
out  thence,  till  thou  hast  paid  the  uttermost 
farthing."  I  replied  that,  to  agree  with  our 
adversary  in  the  way,  was,  to  agree  with  God 
while  here  on  earth ;  and  if  we  did  not  agree 
with  him,  we  should  be  cast  into  hell,  and 
should  not  come  out  till  we  had  paid  the  ut- 


I 


1 

1 
I 
t 
I 

i 


^ 


**' 


THE    CASCO    CAPTIVE. 


39 


Id  unto 
:»w  ser- 
le  testi- 
rd  when 
tvorship 
ived  me 
le,  See 
servant, 
of  them 
worship 

.  V.  25, 

juickly, 

lest  at 

to  the 

he  offi- 

erily,  I 

come 
ermost 
ith  our 
hGod 

agree 
"]],  and 
the  ut- 


, 


termost  farthing,  which  would  never  be  paid. 
But  it  is  needless  for  me,  a  poor  woman,  to 
inform  the  world  what  arguments  I  used,  even 
if  I  could  now  remember  them,  and  many  of 
them  have  escaped  from  my  memory. 


FELLOWSHIP     WITH     THE     ROMIST 
RELIGION     DECLINED. 

I  SHALL  proceed  to  relate  my  trials  on  this 
subject.  I  was  compelled,  either  to  maintain 
the  religion  in  which  I  was  brought  up,  and 
which  in  my  conscience  I  believed  to  be  true  ; 
or  adopt  another  which  I  believed  was  false. 
1  was  preserved  from  apostacy  by  that  Scrip- 
ture— "Whosoever  shall  confess  me  before 
men,  him  will  I  confess  also  before  my  Father 
which  is  in  heaven.  But  whosoever  shall  de- 
ny me  before  men,  him  will  I  also  deny  before 
my  Father  which  is  in  heaven."  I  thought 
that  if  I  should  deny  the  truth,  and  own  their 
religion,  I  should  deny  Christ.  Yet  at  their 
persuasion;  I  went  to  see,  and  attend  tlieir 


*   i.,  ' 


^4^ 


40 


HANNAH    SWANTON, 


I! 


i 


i^- 


worship  sometimes ;  but  never  to  receive  their 
sacrament.  And  once  when  I  was  at  their 
worship,  this  Scripture  came  to  my  mind — 
"  What  communion  hath  light  with  darkness  ? 
And  what  concord  hath  Christ  with  Belial  ? 
or  what  part  hath  he  that  believeth  with  an 
infidel  ?  And  what  agreement  hath  the  temple 
of  God  with  idols  ?  Wherefore  come  out  from 
among  them,  and  be  ye  separate,  saith  the 
Lord,  and  touch  not  the  unclean  thing ;  and 
I  will  receive  you ;  and  I  will  be  a  Father 
unto  you,  and  ye  shall  be  my  sons  and  my 
daughiers,  saith  the  Lord  Almighty."  This 
Scripture  so  impressed  my  mind  that  I  thought 
I  erred  in  being  present  at  the  idolatrous  wor- 
ship, and  I  resolved  never  more  to  attend  it. 
But  when  the  time  drew  nigh,  that  I  was  to 
go  again,  I  was  so  restless  that  night,  that  1 
could  not  sleep ;  for  I  was  thinking  what  I 
should  say,  when  urged  again  to  attend,  and 
what  I  should  do.  In  the  morning,  a  French 
woman  of  my  acquaintance,  said  to  me,  that 
if  I  would  not  be  of  their  religion,  I  did  but 
mock  at  it,  to  go  to  their  worship ;  and  she 


t( 
I 


V 


'>«M» 


THE    CASCO    CAPTIVE. 


41 


ve  their 
at  their 
nind — 
•kness  ? 
Belial  ? 
vith  an 
temple 
ut  from 
ilth  the 
i;  and 
Father 
ind  my 
This 
bought 
IS  wor- 
end  it. 
was  to 
that  1 
w  hat  I 

d,  and 
<^rench 

e,  that 
lid  but 
id  she 


told  me  that  if  I  would  not  be  of  their  religion, 
I  should  go  no  more.  Accordingly  I  went 
no  more,  for  they  did  not  force  me  to  it. 


SORROW     FOR     SIN. 


I  HAD  many  conflicts  in  my  mind,  fearing 

that  I  was  not  truly  converted,  and  that  I  had 

no  saving  interest  in  Christ.     I  could  not  be 

of  a  false  religion,  to  please  men ;    for  it  was 

against  my  conscience ,  and  I  was  not  fit  to 

suffer  for  the  true  religion,  and  for  Christ ;  for 

I  then  feared  I  had  no  interest  in  him.     I  was 

neither  fit  to  live,  nor  fit  to  die  ;    and  once  1 

was  brought  to  the  very  pit  of  despair,  about 

what  would  become  of  my  soul.     By  this  time 

I  had  got  an  English  Bible,  and  other  good 

books,  by  the  help  of  my  fellow  captives.     I 

looked  over  the  Scriptures,  and  was  arrested 

bv  the  prayer  of  Jonah, — "I  said  I  am  cast 

out  of  thy  sight,  yet  will  I  look  again  toward 

thy  holy  temple."     I  rerolved  I  would  do  as 

Jonah  did ;  and  in  meditation  upon  this  Scrip 
4* 


f'*« 


^ 


HANI7AB    SWANTON, 


ture,  the  Lord  was  pleased  by  his  Spirit  to 
come  into  my  soul,  and  to  fill  me  with  com- 
fort so  ravishing  that  I  cannot  describe  it. 
Then  came  to  my  mind  the  history  of  the 
transfiguration  of  Christ,  and  of  Peter's  say- 
ing— "  Lord,  it  is  good  for  us  to  be  here."  I 
thought  it  was  good  for  me  to  be  here ;  and  I 
was  so  filled  with  comfort  and  joy,  that  I  even 
wished  I  could  be  so  always,  and  never  sleep ; 
or  else  die  in  that  rapture  of  joy,  and  never 
live  to  sin  any  more  against  the  Lord.  Now 
I  thought  God  was  my  God,  and  that  my  sins 
were  pardoned  through  Christ;  and  now  I 
could  suffer  for  Christ,  yea,  die  for  Christ,  or 
do  any  thing  for  him.  My  sins  had  been  a 
burden  to  me ;  and  I  desired  to  see  them  all, 
and  repent  of  them  with  my  whole  heart,  and 
of  that  sin  which  had  especially  oppressed 
me,  namely,  that  I  left  the  public  worship 
and  ordinances  of  God,  to  go  to  live  in  a  re- 
mote  place,  without  the  public  ministry ;  de- 
priving ourselves  and  our  children  of  so  great 
a  benefit  to  our  souls;  and  all  this  for  world" 
ly  adcaniages,    I  found  a  heart  to  repent  of 


T^   G^CO   CAPTITX. 


48 


I  • «. 


ipirit  to 
h  com- 
ribe  it, 
of  the 
•'s  say- 
re."     I 
;  and  I 
I  even 
p  sleep; 
1  never 
Now 
my  sins 
now  I 
irist,  or 
Deen  a 
em  all, 
rt,  and 
Dressed 
wrship 
I  a  re- 
;  de- 
great 
world" 
)ent  of 


them  all ;   and  to  lay  hold  of  the  blood  of 
Christ,  to  cleanse  me  from  them  all. 


';k^ 


■-•f  COMFORT    IN     RELIGION, 

I  found  much  comfort^  while  among  the 
French,  in  the  opportunities  I  sometimes  had 
to  read  the  Scriptures  and  other  good  books, 
and  to  pray  to  God  in  secret.  I  enjoyed 
greatly  also  the  conferences  about  the  things 
of  God,  and  the  seasons  of  social  prayer 
which  some  of  us  captives  held ;  and  I  spe- 
cially enjoyed  myself  with  one  that  was  in 
the  same  house  with  me,  Margaret  Stilson. 
Then  was  c«ie  word  of  God  precious  to  us; 
and  they  that  feared  the  Lord,  spake  one  to 
another  as  we  had  opportunity.  Colonel 
Tyng  and  Mr.  Alden,  as  they  were  permitted, 
spake  to  us  to  confirm  and  strengthen  us  in 
the  ways  of  the  Lord.  At  length  the  French 
debarred  our  coming  together  for  religious 
conference  or  other  duties ;  and  word  was 
sent  us  by  Mr.  Alden,  that  this  was  one  kind 
of  persecution  that  we  must  sufier  for  Christ. 


44 


Hannah  swanton, 


11 


\ 


These  are  some  of  the  Scriptures  which  have 
been  my  support  and  comfort  in  the  affliction 
of  my  captivity  among  the  papists.  That  in 
Ezek.  xvi.  6 — 8,  I  apphed  to  myself,  and  I 
desired  to  enter  into  covenant  with  the  Lord, 
and  to  be  liis ;  and  I  prayed  to  the  Lord,  and 
hoped  he  would  return  me  to  my  country 
again,  that  I  might  enter  into  covenant  with 
him,  among  his  people,  and  enjoy  communion 
with  him  in  his  churches  and  public  ordi- 
nances. These  prayers  the  Lord  has  now 
heard  and  graciously  answered  ;  praised  be 
his  name  !  The  Lord  enable  me  to  live 
suitably  to  his  mercy,  and  to  those  precious 
public  privileges  which  I  now  enjoy.  That 
passage  in  the  eleventh  chapter  of  Ezekiel 
was  a  great  comfort  to  me  in  my  captivity ; 
"  Although  I  have  cast  them  far  off  an.ong 
the  heathen,  yet  will  I  be  a  little  sanctuary  to 
them  : — I  will  gather  you  from  the  people, 
where  you  have  been  scattered. '^  I  found 
God  a  little  sanctuary  to  me  there,  and  I  hop- 
ed he  w  ould  Liin^  me  into  the  country  from 


J     ¥■*   V      >%■ 


^.,. 


hhave 
Miction 
'hat  in 
and  I 
Lord, 
d,  and 
ountry 
It  with 
nunion 
ordi- 
is  now 
sed  be 
0  live 
ecious 
That 
Izekiel 
ivity  ; 
in.ong 
ary  to 
eople, 
found 
hop- 
from 


TH|&    CA9C0    CAPTIVE. 


45 


whence  I  had  been  scattered.  And  the  Lord 
hath  heard  the  prayer  of  the  destitute  and  not 
despised  my  prayer,  but  he  has  granted  me 
the  desire  of  my  soul,  in  bringing  me  to  his 
house,  and  to  my  relations  again.  I  often 
thought  on  the  history  of  the  man  bom  blind  ; 
of  whom  Christ,  when  his  disciples  asked, 
"  Who  did  sin,  this  man,  or  his  parents,  that  he 
was  bom  blind  ? "  answered,  "  Neither  hath  this 
man  sinned,  »^or  his  parents;  but  that  the 
works  of  God  should  be  made  manifest  in  him." 
So,  though  I  had  desired  all  this,  yet  1  knew 
not  but  that  one  reason  of  God's  bringing  all 
these  afflictions  upon  me,  and  then  enabling 
me  to  bear  them,  was,  that  the  works  of  God 
might  be  made  manifest.  In  my  great  dis- 
tress I  was  revived  by  that  Scripture — "  I  shall 
not  die  but  live,  and  declare  the  works  of  the 
Lord.  The  Lord  hath  chastened  me  sore, 
but  he  hath  not  given  me  over  to  death."  I 
had  very  often  a  secret  persuasion,  that  I 
should  live  to  declare  the  works  of  the  Lord. 
The  2  Chron.  vi.  36^39,  was  also  a  precious 
Scripture  to  me  in  the  day  o^  evil.    "  If  they 


46 


HANNAH    SWANTON. 


i,»*i 
,»-'i 


,: 


sin  against  thee,  (for  there  is  no  man  which 
sinneth  not,)  and  thou  he  angry  with  them, 
and  dehver  them  over  before  their  enemies, 
and  they  carry  them  away  captives  unto  a 
land  far  off  or  near;  yet  if  they  bethink 
themselves  in  the  land  whither  they  are  car- 
ried captive,  and  turn  and  pray  unto  thee,  in 
the  land  of  their  <5aptivity,  saying.  We  have 
sinned  ;  we  have  done  amiss,  and  have  dealt 
wickedly  ;  if  they  return  to  thee  with  all  their 
heart  and  with  all  their  soul  in  the  land  of 
their  captivity,  whither  they  have  carried  them 
captives,  and  pray  toward  their  land  which 
thou  gavest  unto  their  fathers,  and  toward 
the  city  which  thou  hast  chosen,  and  toward 
the  house  which  I  have  built  for  thy  name ; 
then  hear  thou  from  the  heavens,  even  from 
thy  dwelling  place,  their  prayer  and  their 
supplications,  and  maintain  their  cause,  and 
forgive  thy  people  which  have  sinned  against 
thee."  . 

Margaret  and  I  have  read  over,  and  pray- 
ed over  this  Scripture,  and  talked  together  of 
it ;  how  the  Lord  had  promised,  though  they 


I 


t ' 


/  . 


••■^,' — »,•'-▼» 


J*. 


THE    CASCO    CAPTIVE. 


47 


an  which 
'ith  them, 

enemies, 
!S  unto  a 
■   bethink 

are  car- 
D  thee,  in 
We  have 
ave  deah 
1  all  their 
e  land  of 
ried  them 
id  which 
1  toward 
d  toward 
y  name ; 
ven  from 
nd  their 
use,  and 
i  agjainst 

• 

id  pray- 
ether  of 
igh  they 


. 


were  scattered  for  their  sins,  yet  they  should 
return,  if  they  did  bethinK  themselves,  and 
turn,  and  pray.  Thus  we  did  bethink  our- 
selves in  the  land  where  we  were  carried  cap- 
tive, we  did  return,  did  pray,  and  endeavored 
to  return  to  God  with  all  our  hearts.  And  as 
they  were  to  pray  toward  the  temple,  I  took 
it  that  I  should  pray  toward  Christ :  and  ac- 
c  idingly  I  did  so,  and  hoped  the  Lord  would 
hear ;  and  he  hath  heard  from  heaven,  his 
dwelling  place,  my  prayer  and  supplica- 
tion, and  maintained  my  cause,  and  not  re- 
jected me,  but  returned  me.  And  oh  !  how 
affectionate  was  my  reading  of  the  84th  Psalm 
in  this  condition. 


DELIVERANCE    fROM    CAPTIVITT. 

The  means  of  my  deliverance  were  letters 
that  passed  between  the  governments  of  New 
England  and  of  Canada.  Mr.  Cary  was  sent 
with  a  vessel  to  bring  captives  from  Quebec, 
and  wheii  he  came,  I,  among  others,  and 


n 


48 


ttlNNAR   SWANtOlT) 


my  youngest  son,  had  our  liberty  to  come 
away ;  and  by  God's  blessing,  we  arrived  in 
safely,  in  November,  1695,  a*  'Boston,  our  de- 
sired haven. 

I  desire  therefore  to  praise  the  Lord  for  his 
goodness,  and  for  his  wonderful  works  to  me. 
What  shall  I  render  to  the  Lord  for  all  his 
benefits ! 


ttAIN£    FLOURISHES    BV    HELtGlON 
AND     PEACE »         I 

For  about  ten  years  the  country  endured 
the  calamities  of  war,  until  in  1698,  they 
ceased,  in  consequence  of  the  treaty  of  peace 
concluded  at  Ryswick  in  1797,  between  the 
English  and  French.  Until  1699  Falmouth 
continued  a  desolation,  a  haunt  of  the  savage 
man  and  of  the  savage  beast.  At  length  the 
white  man  came  again,  the  worshiper  of  God, 
The  Bible  was  brought ;  the  altar  of  God 
was  reared  in  the  family ;  the  sanctuary  was 
erected ;  the  minister  of  the  gospel  was  estab- 


to  come 
irrived  in 
\y  our  de- 

rd  for  his 
[s  to  me. 
or  all  his 


kGlON 

endured 
8,  they 
of  peace 
veen  the 
almouth 
savage 
igth  the 
lofGod. 
I  of  God 
iry  was 
is  estab- 


TH£   CASCO   CAPTIVE. 


49 


lished ;  and  the  worship  of  Jehovah  was  com- 
menced. A  Christian  population  grew  up, 
and  spread  over  the  forest,  settled  along  the 
rivers,  and  gathered  about  the  shores  ;  and 
here  and  there  they  soon  built  a  house  for 
God  ;  and  in  the  peaceful  worship  of  him  and 
in  the  great  pursuits  of  useful  business,  they 
experienced  his  blessing.  And  here  is  afford- 
ed an  example,  among  thousands  of  other 
similar  examples,  that  the  gospel  is  the  most 
effectual  security  for  public  prosperity.  Would 
that  every  parent  and  every  child  in  New 
England  mw,  in  the  history  of  our  country, 
how  greatly  we  have  been  blessed  by  the  Sab- 
bath being  kept  holy,  by  pious  and  well  ed- 
ucated ministers  being  supported,  by  famihes 
generally  and  regularly  attending  the  public 
worship  of  God,  and  by  children  being  in- 
structed in  the  catechism,  and  in  the  first 
principles  of  learning  by  the  Primer.  Tliese 
habits  are  the  foundation  of  our  safety  and 
greatness ;  and  we  do  not  owe  our  blessings 
mainly  to  the  glittering  SN^ord  and  musket,  the 
heavy   cannon,   the   solid   battery,    and   the 


5 


,  JwS< 


60 


Hannah  (wantok. 


-\ 


long  and  deep  and  regular  array  of  soldiery. 
It  is  not  the  ball  and  the  sword,  which  has 
cleared  our  woods,  and  dispossessed  the  sav* 
age ;  for,  when  we  fought,  we  were  driven 
back  and  perished  ;  and  when  peace  returned 
we  multiplied ;  and  the  axe,  the  hoe,  and  the 
plough  extended  our  bounds,  and  reached 
through  the  forest.  We  tell  our  children  in 
Maine,  that  while  the  Roman  Catholic  reli- 
gion keeps  the  French  of  Canada  from  im- 
provement and  growth,  we,  with  the  Bible, 
the  preacher,  and  the  school  master,  shall 
spread  and  spread  over  the  wilderness,  till, 
with  a  peaceful  population,  we  crowd  to  the 
St.  Lawrence,  and  scatter  over  the  hills  and 
valleys  the  cheerful  school  house  and  the  sa- 
cred place  of  public  worship.  vv 


i 


m. 


:.* 


soldiery, 
^hich  has 

the  sav- 

•e  driven 

returned 

\,  and  the 

reached 
lildren  in 
lolic  reli- 
from  im-> 
le  Bible, 
er,  shall 
ness,  till, 
vA  to  the 
hills  and 
d  the  sa- 


■■  V- 


n. 


i-%-* 


APPENDIX. 


ROMAN    CATHOLIC    PRINCIPLES    IN 

CANADA* 

Canada  was  settled  by  the  French,  who 
introduced  their  religion,  being  that  of  the 
church  of  Rome.  That  part  which  they  oc- 
cupied is  now  called  Lower  Canada,  and  nine 
tenths  of  its  inhabitants  are  now  (in  1837)  Ro- 
man Catholics.  The  church  of  Rome  calls 
herself  the  Holy  Catholic  Church.  The 
word  Catholic  means  Universal,  and  there- 
fore, as  some  other  churches  claim  to  be  \ini- 
versal  or  catholic,  this  is  called  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church,  or,  for  the  sake  of  brevity, 
the  Catholic  Church.  It  may  be  said  of  ac- 
cusations against  the  Catholic  church,  that 
they  are  untrue  \  and  that  she  does  not  hold 


It 


#■* 


52 


APPENDIX. 


the  doctrines  charged  upon  her  as  errors. 
The  words  of  the  church  itself,  however,  can 
'*v  be  appealed  to,  as  found  in  the  Catechism  of 
the  Diocese  of  Quebec  by  John  de  la  Croix 
de  Saint  Valier,  bishop  of  that  See j  printed  in 
the  French  language  in  Paris,  France.  The 
Catechism,  though  published  so  long  ago,  ex- 
presses the  Catholic  faith  of  this  day;  for  the 
Catholic  church  professes  to  be  infallible ;  as 
may  be  seen  by  the  following  extracts. 

"Make  an  act  of  faith." 

"My  God,  I  believe  firmly  all  that  the 
Church  believes ;  for  thou  hact  revealed  it  to 
the  Church."  * 

"  Are  we  obliged  to  believe  all  that  the 
Church  proposes  to  us  ? " 

"  Yes,  if  any  one  hears  not  the  Church  we 
must  hold  him  for  a  heathen  man  and  a  pub- 
lican." "  H--^ 

^*  Cannot  the  Church  err  ? " 

"By  no  means,  because  it  is  the  pillar  and 
ground  of  the  truth."  5t 

"  What  do  you  understand  by  the  Church  ? " 

"  I  understand  that  it  is  the  assembly  of  be- 


Uv.  oii.^fc..^.«fc- 


v« 


APPEI7DIX. 


53 


s  errors. 
!ver,  can 
chism  of 
la  Croix 
rinted  in 
3.  The 
ago,  ex- 
;  for  the  V 
ible;  as 
s. 


hat  the 
ed  it  to 

■        ,     * 

hat  the 

rch  we 
a  pub- 

ar  and 

rch?" 
of  be- 


lievers,  who,  under  the  care  of  legitimate  pas- 
tors, make  but  one  and  the  same  body,  of 
which  Jesus  Christ  is  the  head." 

"  What  is  the  fourth  reason  of  their  being 
but  one  body  ? " 

"  It  is  that  they  have  but  one  invisible  head 
which  is  Jesus  Christ,  and  one  visible  head, 
which  is  the  Pope,  the  vicar  of  Jesus  Christ 
upon  earth,  and  the  successor  of  St.  Peter." 

Whatever,  therefore,  have  been  the  princi- 
ples of  the  Catholic  Church  in  any  past  age, 
they  are  the  same  now ;  and  the  Catechism 
of  the  Diocese  of  Quebec  must  teach,  in  1837, 
what  the  Catechism  of  the  Diocese  taught  in 
1700. 

Of  this  catechism,  the  Bishop  says  in  the 
preface,  to  the  curates,  missionaries,  arid  be- 
lievers of  the  Diocese,  "  We  command  you 
to  confine  yourselves  exclusively  to  this  cate- 
chism, and  we  forbid  you  to  make  use  in  pub- 
lic, of  any  other."  Throughout  Canada, 
therefore,  this  catechism  was  the  book  from 
which  the  young  were  instructed  in  the  Cath- 
olic religion.  The  copy  in  the  possession  of 
5* 


I 


»4 


.-^r" 


A^PElfDIX. 


the  author  appears  to  have  been  thoroughly 
used,  particularly  that  part  containing  the  lit- 
tle catechism  for  children. 

The  youth,  who  are  encouraged  to  read 
and  study  the  Bible  for  themselves  in  their 
own  language,  may  see  what  the  children  of 
Canada  were  taught  to  believe,  and  what  is 
the  Catholic  faith  o/erthe  world. 

You  are  taught  that  the  whole  body  of 
men  throughout  the  world,  professing  the  faith 
of  the  gospel,  and  obedience  to  God  by  Christ 
according  to  it,  not  destroying  their  profession 
by  fundamental  errors,  or  unholiness,  they  and 
their  children  with  them  are,  and  may  be  call- 
ed the  visible  Catholic  church  of  Christ. 

But  the  children  of  Canada  were  taught 
that  "  the  church  is  the  congregation  of  be- 
lieving Christians,  who  make  profession  of  the 
doctrine  of  Jesus  Christ  in  submission  to  their 
holy  father  the  Pope,"  and  thus  they  were 
made  to  believe  that  none  were  of  the  church 
of  Christ  but  Roman  Catholics. 

You  are  taught  that  baptism  is  a  sacrament, 
wherein  the  washing  with  water  in  the  name 


loroughly 
igthe  lit- 

to  read 

in  their 

bildren  of 

i  what  is 

body  of 
:  the  faith 
by  Christ 
)rofession 
they  and 
y  be  call- 
rist. 

e  taught 
n  of  be- 
on  of  the 
to  their 
ey  were 
3  church 

jrament, 
le  name 


*«w 


* 


•TV 


At»rENDIX. 


55 


of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  doth  signify  and  seal  our  ingraft- 
ing into  Christ,  and  partaking  of  the  benefits 
of  the  covenant  of  grace,  and  our  engagement 
to  be  the  Lord's ;  and,  that  grace  and  salva- 
tion are  not  so  inseparably  annexed  to  this 
ordinance  as  that  no  person  can  be  regenera- 
ted or  saved  without  it ;  or  that  all  that  are 
baptized  are  undoubtedly  regenerated. 

YoLT  are  taught,  therefore,  by  baptism, 
that "  ; '  must  have  an  inward,  spiritual,  holy 
chango,  or  you  cannot  be  saved ;  and  that 
you  must  seek  this  change. 

But  Roman  Catholic  children  are  taught 
that  "  baptism  is  a  sacrament  which  effaces 
original  sin,  and  makes  us  children  of  God, 
and  of  the  church,"  and  that  "  without  it  no 
one  can  be  saved." 

^  Such  instruction  would  bewilder  your 
minds,  prevent  you  from  seeking  true  holi- 
ness, and  make  you  secure  in  your  sins, 
however  immoral  you  might  be.  But  your 
parents  and  teachers,  who  protest  against  the 
errors  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  main- 


56 


▲PPBNOIZ« 


■tm 


tain  that  it  is  not  enough  that  yon  be  bap- 
tized ;  but  also  that  your  heart  must  be  re- 
newed the  Holy  Spirit,  and  your  thoughts, 
affectiu  J  and  life  made  holy. 

You  are  taught  that  the  Lord's  supper  is 
a  sacrament,  wherein,  by  giving  and  receiv- 
ing bread  and  wine,  according  to  Christ's 
appointment,  his  death  is  shewed  forth,  and 
the  worthy  receivers  are,  not  after  a  corporal 
and  carnal  manner,  but  by  faith,  made  par- 
takers of  bis  body  and  blood,  with  all  his 
benefits,  to  their  spiritual  nourishment  and 
growth  in  grace,  and  that  it  is  required  of 
them  that  would  worthily  partake  of  the 
Lord's  supper,  that  they  examine  themselves, 
of  their  knowledge  to  discern  the  Lord's 
body,  of  their  faith  to  feed  upon  him,  of  their 
repentance,  love  and  new  obedience ;  lest, 
coming  unworthily,  they  eat  and  drink  judg- 
ment to  themselves.  ^^ 

But  Roman  Catholic  children  are  taught 
thus : — 

"  What  is  the  sacrament  of  the  Eucha- 
rist?" 


-.  "^  if;' 


APPENDIX. 


57 


)e  bap- 
be  re- 
oughts, 

ipper  is 
receiv- 
Christ's 
th,  and 
orporal 
de  par- 
all  his 
nt  and 
red  of 
of  the 
selves, 
Lord's 

f  their 
lest, 

judg. 

tau^hl 
ucha- 


"  It  is  a  sacrament,  which  contains  really 
and  truly  the  body,  the  blood,  the  soul  and 
divinity  of  our  Saviour  Jesus  Christ,  contain- 
ed under  the  form  or  appearance  of  bread 
and  wine."  * 

"  What  then  does  one  receive  wheh  he 
communes  ? " 

"  He  receives  the  body,  the  blood,  the  soul 
^d  divinity  of  oiir  Lord,  under  the  form  or 
appearance  of  bread  or  wine." 

"  What  is  it  which  you  call  the  form  or  ap- 
pearance of  bread  ? " 

"  It  is  that  which  appears  to  our  senses  as 
whiteness,  bulk,  figure  and  taste." 

"  Under  these  forms  or  appearances  of 
bread,  is  not  the  substance  of  bread  also 
there?"  '-^^  "  * 

"  No,  it  is  changed  into  the  body  of  our 
Lord  by  the  sacramental  words." 

"  Is  our  I^ord  then  in  ail  the  hosts  which 
the  priest  consecrates  ? " 

"  Yes,  he  is  whole  and  entire  in  every 
host."  * 


« 


*  Host  from  the  Latin,  hottiaf  a  sacrifice. 


58 


APPENDIX. 


■■,*;, 


iJJ 


**  When  the  priest  bre8L':s  the  host,  does  he 
break  the  body  of  our  Lord  ? " 

"  No ;  f'-^v  they  are  only  the  forms  or  ap- 
pearance?    *  bread  which  are  broken." 

"  Does  the  body  of  our  Lord  remain  whole 
and  entire  under  every  part  of  the  forms, 
when  they  are  broken?" 

"  Yes,  it  is  certain  that,  under  every  part 
of  the  forms,  he  remains  as  entire  as  in  the 
whole  host." 

"  What  is  there  in  the  cup  which  we  adore 
in  the  holy  mass  ? " 

"  It  is  the  precious  blood  of  our  Savior, 
and  the  same  that  was  shed  for  us  upon  the 
wood  of  the  cross." 

"  Is  there  any  blood  in  the  cup  ? " 
_  **  Pardon  me.    Jesus  Christ  is  there  whole 
and  entire,  as  well  as  under  the  forms  and 
appearances  of  bread," 

They  who  are  permitted  and  encouraged 
to  read  the  Bible,  and  to  cultivate  their  minds 
that  they  may  think  for  themselves  on  reli- 
gious subjects,  may  bless  God,  that  they  are 
not',  like  many,  compelled  to  believe  what 


APPENDIX. 


59 


t,  does  he 

IS  or  ap- 
1." 

lin  whole 
e  forms, 

i^ery  part 
IS  in  the 

ye  adore 

Savior, 
ipon  the 


e  whole 
ms  and 


ouraged 
ir  minds 
on  reli- 
hey  are 
e  what 


their  senses  altogether  contradict,  and  what 
appears  false  to  sound  reason.  You  can  see 
that  the  bread,  in  the  Lord's  supper,  remains 
bread,  that  it  looks  like  bread,  feels  to  the 
touch  like  bread,  smells  and  tastes  like  bread ; 
and  yet  the  children  of  Roman  Catholics  are 
made  to  believe  that  it  is  not  bread ;  and 
they  must  believe  further  that  it  is  the  body 
and  blood,  the  soul  and  divinity  of  Jesus 
Christ,  contrary  to  their  reason  and  the  testi- 
mony of  their  senses.  Thus  they  are  pre- 
pared to  believe  whatever  their  church,  their 
priests,  and  their  religious  books  may  teach, 
however  unreasonable  and  opposite  to  all 
their  perceptions.  They  are  prepared,  also, 
to  distrust  in  general  their  own  senses,  and 
their  own  reasons,  and  to  receive  any  absur- 
dities, which  cunning  and  wicked  men  may 
wish  to  impose  upon  them.  ^ 

You  are  taught  that  Christians  are  persons 
who  are  convinced  of  their  sin  and  misery, 
whose  minds  are  enlightened  in  the  knowl- 
edge of  Christ,  whose  >vills  are  renewed,  and 
who  are  persuaded  and  enabled  to  embrace 


.« 


% 


eo 


APPENDIX. 


•i 


4-»» 


Jesus  Christ,  freely  offered  to  them  in  the 
gospel ;  but  Roman  Catholic  children  are 
taught  differently,  as  rnay  be  seen  by  the  fol- 
lowing questions  and  answers  ; — 

"  What  is  the  mark  of  a  Christian  ?  *' 

"  It  is  the  Fgn  of  the  cross." 

**  How  do  you  make  it  ? " 

"  I  make  it  by  putting  my  right  hand  to 
my  forehead,  then  to  my  breast,  next  to  my 
left  shoulder,  and  lastly  to  my  right  shoul- 
der." .     ' 

All  religion,  which  consists  in  outward 
forms,  rather  than  in  true  holiness,  spiritual 
worship  and  sound  morality,  is  deceptive,  cor- 
rupting, Babylonish,  and  anti-christian,  what- 
ever name  this  religion  may  have,  whether 
Roman  Catholic,  or  some  other  name.— 
Many  churches,  which  do  not  submit  to  the 
Bishop  of  Rome,  and  many  even  which  call 
themselves  Protestant,  have  the  spirit  of  the 
Catholic  Church ;  and  th^y  will  partake  of 
the  curse  pronounced  in  Revelation  on  the 


APPENDIX. 


61 


n  in  the 
dren  are 
r  the  fol- 


}f 


hand  to 
:t  to  my 
It  shoul- 


putward 
spiritual 
ive,  cor- 
1,  what- 
whether 

ame. — 
to  the 

ich  call 
of  the 

take  of 

on  the 


beast,  which  makes  war  with  the  Lamb,  and 
with  the  saints.  .  -  : 

Our  youth  may  therefore  thank  God  for 
his  mercy,  that,  by  his  grace  they  have  learn- 
ed to  read  the  Bible  for  themselves,  that 
their  minds  have  been  educated ;  that  they 
have  been  taught  to  think  for  themselves,  to 
believe  in  the  testimony  of  their  own  senses, 
and  to  rely  upon  the  conclusions  of  their  own 
reason ;  and  that  they  have  had  secured  to 
them  the  liberty  of  choosing  their  own  reli- 
^ous  opinions  and  worship,  while  they  do  not 
disturb  others'  liberty  and  rights.  By  being 
so  educated  as  to  worship  God  spiritually  and 
truly,  and  to  avoid  marking  ourselves  by  the 
practice  of  any  empty  forms  and  superstitious 
observances,  we  may  escape  from  such  judg- 
ments, as  an  angel  is  represented  in  Revela- 
tion, as  uttering  with  a  loud  voice,  "  If  any 
man  worship  the  beast  and  his  image,  and 
receive  the  mark  in  his  forehead,  or  in  his 
hand,  the  same  shall  drink  of  the  wine  of  the 
wrath  of  God,  which  is  poured  out  without 
6 


*" . 

•   ■:  'k't 

\  \ 

APPENDIX. 

«/ 

0^ 

mixture  into  the  cup  of  his  indignation ;  and  ^ 
he  shall  he  tormented  with  fire  and  hrimstone 
in  the  presence  of  the  holy  angels,  and  in  the  , 
presence  of  the  Lamh ;  and  the  smoke  of 
their  torment  ascendeth  up  forever  and  ever ; 
and  they  have  no  rest  day  nor  nig] it,  who 
worship  the  beast  and  his  image,  ai  d  who- 
soever receiveth  the  mark  of  his  name."    '  ^ ' 

The  principles  described  as  those  of  the  . 
Catholic  Church  in  Canada,  in  1700,  will 
show  why  the  French  of  that  country, 
though  amiable  in  disposition,  and  kind  in 
deed,  should  have  no  charity  for  the  religion 
of  Mrs.  S wanton  ;  and  should  urge  her,  even  ' 
beyond  reason,  to  adopt  their  worship.  It 
may  be  seen  too,  what  cause  she  had  for 
anxiety  and  distress,  lest  she  should  be  in- 
duced to  embrace  it.  It  may  also  be  per- 
ceived that  the  Christians  of  Maine,  as  the 
population  of  the  State  ^hall  extend  to  the 
borders  of  Canada,  will  be  near  a  great  body 
of  Catholics,  and  will  have  occasion  to  guard 
against  an  imposing  religion,   especially  by 


■•^         ' 


■^' 


r- 


i::^.. 


w 


a^: 


I^* 


\r 


3n ;  and  ^ 
rimstone 
id  in  tha 
noke  of 
id  ever ; 
lit,  who 
r.d  who- 
e." 

J  of  the 
00,  will 
country, 
kind  in 
religion 
er,  even 
hip.     It 
had  for 
I  be  in- 
be  per- 
,  as  the 
to  the 
at  body- 
to  guard 
ally  by 


•-X 


** 


APPENDIX. 


.     63 


^  teaching  the  young  divine  truth  in  a  sound 
catechism,  but  above  all,  by  the  Bible  itself; 
and  that  they   will  be  sacredly  called,    by 

'  their  love  to  Christ,  and  to  their  fellow  men, 
to  pray  for,  and  to  enlighten  a  people,  who> 
though  uneducated  and  superstitious,  are  in- 
dustrious, quiet  and  hospitable. 


> 


':*■ 


0 


'■^:i 


W       % 


-» 


M 


^  h 


tfr- 


•#' 


